Articles

King Alfred’s statue comes to life to mark 100 years in Pewsey

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:37:18 +0100

King Alfred will walk the streets of Pewsey between 10.30am and 1pm on Friday (21^st June) to mark the summer solistice and celebrate the centenary of his statue in the village Market Place.

Pewsey Music Festival commissioned the "living statue" of King Alfred to appear at the sixth annual Pewsey Music Festival, on Saturday 3^rd August. But the King was keen to make a June state visit to celebrate his statue’s100 years’ standing in the village and he felt the summer solstice was the ideal time.

A palace spokesman said: “During his reign, His Royal Highness King Alfred owned much of the land in the Pewsey Vale.

“He may have been born in Wantage, but he always had a soft spot for the people of Pewsey. And he loves the spirit of carnival.”

Legend has it King Alfred left his wife in the care of the people of Pewsey when he went into battle, and in gratitude declared: “Henceforth on this day there shall be a feast!”

Pewsey folk took this one step further in 1898 by extending the celebrations with a carnival.

And in 2007 they took it further still by deciding that in addition to the carnival and feast, there should be a fest.

Pewsey Music Festival 2013 takes place on Saturday 3^rd August in Cooper’s Field, Ball Road, Pewsey, from noon to midnight.

All the world’s a stage when performing Will Shakespeare

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:59:00 +0100

Did you know that Shakespeare put a curse on anyone daring to move his body from his final resting place at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon?

Well, his body might still be there a few centuries later but his spirit is roaming throughout our region as his legacy through theatre lives on.

This summer you’ll be able to catch two very unique performances of Shakespeare’s work in somewhat unusual settings. They are The Comedy of Errors at Lackham House near Lacock in Wiltshire and The Taming of the Shrew at The Bodleian Library in Oxford.

The Comedy of Errors - June 24 to June 29

Shakespeare Live's 25th summer outdoor show, 'The Comedy of Errors', will be in the gardens of Lackham House near Lacock every evening from Monday June 24 to Saturday June 29, together with a Saturday matinee.

The production is set in late nineteenth century Ephesus, with all the exotic and colourful costumes that that implies. The plot is chaotic, laugh-out-loud farce, easy to understand so ideal for Shakespeare lovers and novices alike. Shakespeare Live are an amateur group whose performances are always of the highest standard. Any profits go to charity.

Tickets for the large, comfortable covered stand are available via http://www.shakespearelive.com or from the box office on 07780 938107 and cost £14 for all performances except the Saturday Gala Night, which includes extra entertainment, when tickets cost £19. The gardens open 90 minutes before each show for picnics and there is an indoor bar, catering facilities, and easy parking.

The Taming of the Shrew - July 9 to July 21

Directed by Joe Murphy this play tells the story of two wealthy sisters in Padua who must be married off. The modest, demure Bianca has no shortage of suitors, but who on earth will take the wild Katherina? Perhaps the gold-digging Petruchio, as maddeningly strong-willed and perverse as Katherina herself, will be equal to the task of bullying her to the altar?

Performed by an all-female cast, Shakespeare’s outrageous comedy introduces one of theatre’s great screwball double-acts: a couple hell-bent on confusing and outwitting each other right up to its controversial conclusion.

Firmly established as one of the city’s annual highlights, Oxford Playhouse and the Bodleian Library are delighted to welcome back the Globe Theatre on Tour to perform The Taming of the Shrew in the stunning setting of the Old Schools Quadrangle. According to the Oxford Times on a scale of one to ten of spectacular venues, the Bodleian Library Quad has to score eleven. http://www.oxfordplayhouse.com

Gig Monkey Presents a Glastonbury Special at The Vic in Swindon

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:52:00 +0100

That Gig Monkey seems to be a bit busy this month. Well here’s another gig that the simian promoter is putting on and it’s going to be something a bit special.

With both local acts Bateleurs and Jim Blair of Hip Route (pictured) confirmed to play at this years Glastonbury Festival Gig Monkey and The Victoria in Swindon host a warm up show on Sunday June 23 from 4.30pm.

Joining them for this relaxed afternoon and evening of music will be support from one of the UK’s finest Americana bands Case Hardin and Swindon’s own Charlie Bath, a folk and Americana style singer-songwriter of extraordinary talent.

There’s also local singer- songwriters Luke De-Sciscio and Tamsin Rosie Quin, who brings her soulful ballads and new age folk charms to kick start proceedings. Entry’s £3.

Highly praised Michael Jackson tribute concert comes to the Wyvern

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:51:00 +0100

Jackson Live is a show that will definitely get you dancing like you just don’t care when it comes to The Wyvern this month.

It is the nearest thing you’ll get now to seeing Michael Jackson perform and Ben Bowman who plays the star is magnificent. The show is coming to the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon on Sunday June 23.

Michael Jackson is fondly remembered as one of the most profoundly influential artists of all time. His impressive career spanned almost five decades, and he was continually at the forefront of popular music, being crowned as he is now, the undisputed King of Pop.

The Ocelot Seventh Birthday Bash!

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:12:00 +0100

Saturday June 22 - 8pm - Free entry - The Vic in Swindon - with SkyBurnsRed + The Vooz + Deer Chicago + Nudybronque

Seven years is a long time. It’s usually about the time that most marriages get a bit itchy and it’s also the time that Brad Pitt spent in Tibet. For us lot at Castle Ocelot it’s the amount of time that we’ve been bringing this periodical to you. That’s 84 months in total. And to celebrate we’re going to give you lot a special treat by bringing you one of the best nights of live music around for free. That’s right we’re putting on a free entry gig with four of the best acts around - SkyBurnsRed, The Vooz, Deer Chicago and Nudybronque. It takes place at The Vic in Swindon on Saturday June 22 from 8pm. Each of these bands would normally be a headline act in their own right. It’s going to be most excellent (to quote Bill and Ted)!

SkyBurnsRed

Swindon band SkyBurnsRed are a bit of a unique case. Taking a heavy, grunge influenced rock sound and adding in some violin they create a singularly wonderful noise that shouldn’t work, but has a majesty and dynamism all of its own. And, the violin is far from a gimmick, it complements the rest of the music brilliantly. They can also write some great songs, elements of Biffy Clyro and Foo Fighters complimenting the early 90’s influences like Smashing Pumpkins with the classical strings filling it all out and adding plenty of different layers, whether eastern vibes or Wagnerian orchestral bombast. 2013 marks a major milestone for the band as they build on the success of their first two EPs (Madness & Reason, Who Are You?) with the release of their debut album. Watch them live at The Ocelot Birthday Bash and they’ll soon be one of your fave bands.

The Vooz

The Vooz are a ‘veracious energy driven explosion of full flash from Marlborough’ (Green Man Music 2010) who have fused the genres of punk rock and modern indie music and they are bloody brilliant. With a great sense of stagecraft, rhythm and songs they are able to whip any crowd into a frenzy and are one of the hardest working and tightest bands on the circuit. They have toured and played with a number of famous artists such as: 999, Nick Harper The Lurkers, The Vibrators, Julian Cope, Guthrie Govan (Asia, Dizzee Rascal), The Dacoits and The Quails. In the past 12 months they’ve been getting a lot of press including from Lauren Laverne of BBC6 Music and were recently chosen by Mike Pickering as the launch band for a Manchester City app. They also recently featured on a Punakalicious Records compilation. We’re looking forward to them smashing it at The Ocelot Birthday Bash.

Deer Chicago

We’re really looking forward to the guys from Deer Chicago tearing it up at The Ocelot Birthday Bash. The threesome hail from Oxfordshire and have been rigorously gigging throughout the UK since they formed. The band’s combination of post-rock shimmering guitars, blustery vocals and turbulent rhythm has won them numerous fans and airplay on BBC 6 Music, Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing in Oxford with Dave Gilyeat (BBC Introducing) hailing the band as ‘Epic and Majestic’. 2012 saw Deer Chicago supporting Lanterns on the Lake and We Are Augustines, as well as playing Camden Crawl, Wilderness and Cornbury festivals. We expect big, big things of this band and can’t believe we’ve managed to get them to play at our birthday. The only thing that would make it more perfect is if we got Megan Fox to jump out of a cake but that’s not going to happen as we had to take out an injunction against Megan to stop her constantly bothering us at The Ocelot offices. Anyway, Deer Chicago definitely need to be seen to be believed as their live set is out of this world.

Nudybronque

Regular readers of The Ocelot will probably be fed up with us waxing lyrical about Swindon band Nudybronque. We’ve been banging their drum now for at least two years and they were even our cover stars in March. There is a reason why we’ve been going on about them though and it’s not just because they use Lynx deodorant (although that goes some way to explain ing our obsession). No, the reason is because they are truly awesome. They play their own particular brand of indy pop with humour and swagger that touches on genius in places. If you come along to our birthday bash you’ll totally understand our fixation as the threesome will catch you in their net and not let you go until you are enslaved to their joysome melodies. Lately they’ve been showing an increased maturity in their music which has really got the music press buzzing about like blue-arsed tits. Their latest off the wall release Allsorts has become a bit of a favourite on the ol’ iPod in the editor’s office. When they play live these boys really come into their own as if you don’t end up a sweaty, smiling mess by the end of their set there must be something wrong with you.

Face the music at Hubfest!

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:08:00 +0100

Hubfest is going to be big.

The all-dayer at Reading’s Face Bar off Chatham Street is looking so good that it definitely can’t be missed.

It all kicks off at 1pm on Saturday June 22 and it takes place throughout the day over two rooms until 2am the next day.

The inaugural event has been organised by Hubcap Promotions and is a diverse mix of acoustic, country, folk, indie, rock and metal and includes musicians from across the area.

One of the acts that we would recommend is Sleep Room. We love Sleep Room. They sent us a CD not long ago and we’ve been obsessed ever since.

It’s all split into two rooms with the ever-excellent Shoals headlining the larger room. Also playing that room is the aforementioned Sleep Room, Talulah Kills, Sevasa, Off the Radar, Kicking Television, Humbug, Burnt Tomorrow, Vienna Ditto (who won Ocelot writer Tom Davenport’s 2012 release of the year), August List and Paula Curtis.

In the smaller room you can catch the likes of Emily Charlotte Haynes, Dan Curtis, Bear & The Woods, The Patient Wild, 1 3 D, New White Astros, Military Arcade, Chalk Angels and Men That Follow Hell. The headliner of the smaller room will be Dark Karma Soul.

This will be followed by an afterparty from 11.30pm to 2am featuring DJ Acay and DJ James Winfield.

If that wasn’t enough there’s also dancers from JW Dance Street and comedy in the form of Jimmy Misery and Geoff Steel.

This is all for £6 on the door with 16 to 17 year olds welcome until 11pm.

For more details fb/Hub-Fest-Reading-2013

Tony Law joins Scoundrels Comedy Club at South Street in June

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:31:00 +0100

Scoundrels Comedy Club at South Street in Reading continues with a new season of the best national and international comedians on the circuit. The next one takes place on Friday June 21 at 8pm and they’ve got the amazingly hilarious Tony Law for your delectation. Tickets cost £12.

Tony’ll be accompanied by Phil Wang, Funmbi Omotayo, Katherine Ryan (MC). As seen on loads of shows including Have I Got News For You, Canadian Tony was nominated for the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award 2012, and last year won the Chortle Breakthrough Act Award and the Amused Moose Laughter Award.

The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band Summer Do at The Jericho

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 23:35:00 +0100

When it comes to bands you don’t get much bigger than The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band.

With seven members they fill a room rather quickly and the Oxford based band are one of the most quality and fun outfits you’re ever likely to see.

The band play original material influenced by 1920s and 1930s jazz and 1940s jump blues.

This month on Friday June 14 they will be performing at a special summer party at The Jericho Tavern on Walton Road, Oxford.

Support comes in the shape of the brilliant Vienna Ditto who have been making waves Reading way for quite some time.

Skiffle DJs will also be on hand.

The gig kicks off at 8pm and costs £7 a ticket.

Trophy Wife’s last ever gig at Oxford’s O2 Academy

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:33:00 +0100

It’s not often that a band announces the release of its debut album and then, in the next breath, reveals that they’re splitting up.

This is what Oxford’s Trophy Wife have done. The album is reviewed by Ed Dyer earlier in the magazine who described it as “a fantastic piece of work, all edgy indie pop, with a dark boldness.”

It is a fantastic debut that is beautiful with many hidden depths and it’s definitely one that we would recommend to anyone.

In their statement the band said: “We'd like you to know that we're going to be turning our attention to making some new music after this which means we're going to be putting Trophy Wife to rest. We've lived and breathed this band for the last three years and it feels like the right time for us to move on after the release of an album we truly love and are all incredibly proud of.”

To celebrate the launch of their debut the band had planned a handful of shows so it now turns out their gig at the O2 Academy on Cowley Road in Oxford on Friday June 14 will be the band’s last ever gig.

This means that this gig will be truly unmissable as it will be the last chance you ever have to see this superb band live.

Support comes in the shape of Oxford stalwarts Kill Murray and Limbo Kids as well as Motherhood, the dark R&B/Pop project of Birmingham based Joe Robinson.

Tickets cost £7 from http://www.o2academyoxford.co.uk

Swindon TP’s likes to see things at a slightly different spectral range

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:57:00 +0100

Here’s a gig that might be a bit different for all you students and music lovers out there.

TP’s in Swindon will be hosting a UV Party on Thursday June 13 and reckon it’s going to be one hell of a party.

Ultraviolet (UV) light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. It is so-named because the spectrum consists of electromagnetic waves with frequencies higher than those that humans identify as the color violet. These frequencies are invisible to humans, but visible to a number of insects and birds.

So if you like seeing things glow in the dark or just like seeing things at a slightly different spectral range this will definitely be for you. There will be live bands and a DJ set as part of the evening’s entertainment. The ultraviolet night kicks off at 8pm and costs £2.